I know weāve a fair few people on this forum that are big fans of this collection of talent.
Ianucci, Coogan, Morris, Baynham, Schneider, Front, McKeegan, Marber, Lee and Herring.
All started here, including Alan Partridgeās first appearances. Theyāve re-used bits of this in other shows theyāve done. This is comedy genius from the first sentence.
I remember listening to this. Itās pretty much a template now for modern comedy. Armando Ianucci is probably the driving force behind all the talent.
Iāve been watching two comics almost exclusively in the last three weeks. The first is a Sotonians favourite, the inestimable Stewart Lee. His evolution into the comic he is now is pretty impressive, but easily explainable. His new comic creation, which he insists is a separate character, just doesnāt give a fuck about being liked. His younger incarnation, whether it was him or not, did a bit. One of the only performers still following the Lenny Bruce writer auteur model (even Frankie Boyle uses writers, according to him), his shows are excellent. I also really like his side gig as an interviewer. His chats with Alexei Sayle and Alan Moore are well worth checking out.
The other chap would be Doug Stanhope, someone my best mate (sorry @fatso ) put me onto because he knew I loved Bill Hicks. We went to see him live on the day Leicester came back to draw 2-2 at St. Marys. Both my best mate and Doug himself said that he was nearing the end of his career, and that he wasnāt as hardcore as he was before. He was good when we saw him. His early stuff is bloody excellent though, raw, angry, drunken genius. Charlie Brooker had him on his shows.
I saw him in 2015 at The Lowry in Manchester. I went with my best mate (sorry @fatso . for both mentioning a best mate and creating a culture where people can call others best mates) , swerving that Leicester game where we drew 2-2 after being 2-0 up. My mate had an app on his phone which beeped every time a goal in the game went in. āComeback kingsā, I remarked. Heās not forgiven me for that remark to this day.
Anyways, Stanhope. When we saw him, the best mate and Doug himself both told me that he was on the way out, that this was a money raising tour, a bit of a Greatest Hits.
In the time since, Iāve come to see him as one of the two spiritual successors to Bill Hicks, whether they like it or not. The other is Stewart Lee. Stanhope is much much closer, having that American and almost eternally drunken persona, but Lee has that same questioning eye. He just focuses it in on much much smaller areas, and delivers. Both expect their audiences to dislike what theyāre saying, both have material pre-worked in anticipation of the controversy theyāre going to cause, of which Lee is the undoubted master.
For me, comedy genius has always been about being able to present a different point of view, say something true, impart a couple of values and make people laugh at the same time. Hicks was better physically and politically, Stanhope is probably the best observational comedian Iāve seen (largely because people forget that he is one) while Lee can plough the minutiae of any little thing while expressing utter contempt.
Iām clearly the comedy king of this forum so my opinions are important.
I listened to Doug Stanhope podcast and I didnāt like it. I found it slightly offensive and a bit aggressive for my liking. I didnāt find it clever I any way.
Now, Iām not saying that heās shit, Iām saying I find some of his humour difficult.